Abolish West Point â€” and the other service academies, too

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Why do I disagree with this logic?

But they are not the hallowed arbiters of quality promised by their myths. Their traditions mask bloated government money-sucks that consistently underperform. They are centers of nepotism that turn below-average students into average officers. They are indulgences that taxpayers, who fund them, can no longer afford. Theyâ€™ve outlived their use, and itâ€™s time to shut them down.

The most compelling and obvious argument is the financial one. It officially costs about $205,000 to produce a West Point graduate, although a 2003 Government Accountability OfficeÂ studyÂ put the price tag at more than $300,000; officers at the Air Force and Naval academies are minted for $322,000 and $275,000, respectively. According to at leastÂ onemeasurement, thatâ€™s about four times as much as it costs to produce an officer through the Reserve Officersâ€™ Training Corps, which trains officers-to-be while they attend civilian colleges.